Window washer&#39;s seat



June 19, 1934. H. J. LEHMAN WINDOW WASHERS SEAT Filed Feb. 10, 1934 INVENTOR. jk/zryf Z 0712721272,

v A I V, 1

ATTORNEY.

Patented June 19, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to window washers seats, and its principal object is to provide a device that may be easily and quickly fastened in place on window structures to serve as a seat for persons washing the outsides of windows. Another object is to provide clamping means in a seat, capable of a wide range of adjustment whereby the seat may be used on window structures of various makes and sizes. Another object is to provide in connection with the adjustable clamp mechanism, a safety clamp whereby to doubly insure safety and dependability of the device.

With these and other objects and advantages in View, this invention consists in the several novel features of construction, arrangement and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawing accompanying this specification, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a window washers seat embodying a simple form of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail vertical cross section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view looking at the underside of the device with the back lowered.

Fig 4. is a front elevation, and

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical, longitudinal, fragmental section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to said drawing, the reference character A designates the wall of a building pro-- vided with a window opening having a sill shown conventionally at a. The seat is arranged to be fastened to the sill with its seat proper 6, lying partly over the sill and projecting somewhat beyond the outer edge thereof so as to provide a convenient seat for the person washing the outer side of the window.

The seat 6 is preferably formed of a piece of sheet metal bent down at the rear end to provide a flange 7. A back 8, also preferably formed of sheet metal, is hinged to the seat at its rear edge by hinges 9 and is formed with two projecting parts 10 that are arranged to engage the flange '1 when the back is raised and thereby hold it in its raised position. When not in use and when attaching the device to a sill or detaching it therefrom, the back may be swung down upon the seat 6.

Slidably guided in a guideway 11 on the underside of the seat is a clamp bar 12 which projects beyond the front edge of the seat and is formed with a downwardly and rearwardly offset end 13 which is arranged to pass around the usual projecting trim a of the sill without necessarily coming in contact with it and the extremity of the offset end is bent downwardly as at 14 to provide a jaw or clamping face adapted to bear against the window structure below the flanged part (1 The guideway 11 for the clamp bar.12 may comprise two guide bars 15, one at each side of the clamp bar and a plate 16 underlying the guide bars and clamp bar. The plate and guide bars are riveted or'otherwise rigidly fastened to the seat 6. An opening 1'7 may be provided in the flange 7 of the seat to permit the clamp bar to be'adjusted backward to an extreme position, if

necessary.-

For adjusting the clamp bar and looking it in adjusted positions, an adjustment screw 18 is pro vided, one end of which is secured to the bent up end of the clamp bar by'its head 19 and a nut 20 threaded on the screw. The adjustment screw extends rearward underneath the clamp bar and extends out through a hole in the flange 7 and has a wing nut 21 threadedly mounted thereon and adapted to be screwed up against the flange to lock the screw and clamp bar in adjusted position.

Riveted or otherwise secured to the underside of the seat, is a pair of supports 22 that are adapted to rest upon the part 23 of the sill and to bear against the edge 24 of the part 25 which part may comprise the lower member of the window frame. Each support is preferably composed of a metal strip bent up at its ends to form two upright ends 26 that terminate in horizontal parts riveted or otherwise fastened to the seat. The forward upright ends 26 of the supports 22 co-operate with the downturned extremity or jaw 14 of the clamp bar to clamp the device between the outer edge of the window frame and the inner face of the window structure below the projecting flange a It will be observed at this point that the clamp bar does not grip upon the trim or projecting flange a of the window structure, but bears against the more solid part of the window structure below the flange a Inner sill clamps that depend entirely on the projecting sill lip or inner projecting flange of the window are objectionable because inner sills are of different designs and shapes. The present inner clamp bar is designed to overcome different styles, and shapes thereby fitting the more solid and substantial part of the inner window structure, and is not limited to a certain sill only, but surrounds them all whether overlapping, flush, or tapered sills. When the wing nut 21 is screwed up tight against the flange '7 of the seat, the supports 22 and clamp bar grip the solid parts of the window between them, thereby securely fastening the seat thereon. By providing a relatively long clamp bar and adjusting screw, the seat may be attached to window structures of various widths.

To provide additional security against accident, I provide a safety lock in the form of a clamp screw 29', below the adjusting screw. The clamp screw 29 is threadedly mounted in the seat flange 7 and a block 30 that is fastened to the flange and serves to provide enough stock to hold the clamp screw. A winged head 31 on the outer end of the clamp screw provides a finger hold whereby the screw may be properly manipulated. On the inner end of the clamp screw is a clamp plate 32 that is arranged to bear against the outer face of the sill whereby the seat is clamped between the inner and outer faces of wall of the building. The clamp plate may be of considerable width and height and is shown as formed with projecting ends'33 that overlie the lower members of the supports. As a result the clamp plate is guided to move back and forth without turning with the clamp screw when the latter is turned.

It will be observed that when the clamp screw is tightened up, an additional grip is had upon the sill, thereby effectively preventing the rear end of the seat from moving downward under the weight of the person sitting thereon, and by making the clamp screw of sufficient length the safety lock may be used on a great variety of widths of sills. To prevent marring any of the surfaces of the window structure with which the device comes in contact, rubber or other cushioning strips 34 are secured tothe clamp bar, the supports and the clamp plate. The parts may be made of any suitable material and to minimize the weight of the device, most of the parts may be composed of aluminum ,or an aluminumalloy, I

The seat is fastened in place by first-adjusting the clamp bar so asto enable the supports to be placed upon the sill and against the window frame. The adjusting screw is then turned up tight to bring the jaw of the clamp bar tightly against the window structure below the trim. The clamp screw is then tightened up thereby clamping the seat upon the sill between the jaw of the clamp bar and the clamp plate. The seat is readily detached from the window structureby loosening the screws.

An. ordinary nut may be substituted for the wing nut 21 to permit the rear end of the clamp bar to pass in case it is projected through the" opening 17, in which case a socket wrench may be used to turn the nut.

By the term window structure is included the window frame, the sill and members of the casing, whether made of wood, metal, stone or masonry or partly made of any of said materials.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A window washers seat comprising, in combination, a seat having a downwardly projecting flange at its rear, and a slideway on its under side, a clamp bar slidably guided on said slideway and provided at its forward end with an offset part terminating in a jaw formed with an upright face, a pair of supports projecting down from the seat and co-operating with the jaw to grip upright faces of a window structure between them, an adjustment screw connected to said clamp bar and extending back through the seat flange, and a nut threaded on said screw and co-operating with said flange to draw the clamp jaw against the window structure.

2. A window washers seat comprising, in com bination, a seat having a downwardly projecting flange at its rear, and a slideway on its underside, a clamp bar slidably guided on said slideway and provided at its forward end with an offset part terminating in a jaw formed with an upright face, a pair of supports projecting down from the seat and co-operating with the upright face of the jaw to grip upright faces of a window structure therebetween, an adjusting screw secured to the offset part of the clamp bar and extending back through the seat flangev and a wing nut threaded on said screw, co-operating with the flange to draw the jaw against the window structure.

3. A window washers seat comprising, in combination, a seat having a' downwardly projecting flange at its rear, and a slideway on its underside, a clamp bar slidably guided on said slideway and provided at its forward end with an offset part terminating in a jaw, a pair of supports projecting down from the seat and co-operating with said jaw to grip against upright faces of a window structure, an adjusting screw between said seat and clamp bar, and a safety clamp screw threaded in said seat flange and having a clamp plate adapted to bear against an upright face of the Window structure.

HENRY J. LEHMAN. 

